Harry Potter- The Change Of Destiny
by purebloodpeverell
Summary: The incident at the end of the Chamber Of Secrets changes Harry at a psychological level, causing him to take his studies and training seriously as well as embrace his Slytherin self. Smart Harry! Powerful Harry!
1. Chapter 1

Edited & Betaed Version:

Summary : The incident at the end of the Chamber Of Secrets changes Harry at a psychological level, causing him to take his studies and training seriously as well as embrace his slytherin self.

Disclaimer: I own no part of the Harry Potter world. It is a creation of J.K. Rowling. I am making no money from this.

Beta credits: candlemass. (yay!)

(Edited: 9th July,2018.)

 **CHAPTER 1:**

 _ **"You shall go now", he said fiercely, pointing down at Mr. Malfoy.**_

 _ **"You shall not touch Harry Potter. You shall go now."**_

 _ **Lucius Malfoy had no choice. With a last, incensed stare at the pair of them, he swung his cloak around him and hurried out of sight.**_

 _ **"Harry Potter freed Dobby!"**_ _ **the elf cried shrilly**_ _ **, gazing up at Harry, moonlight from the nearest window reflected in his orb like eyes. "Harry Potter set Dobby free!"**_

But as soon as he said this, his face darkened as he understood the implications of his words.

"What happened, Dobby? Aren't you happy now?" asked Harry.

"Dobby is sir, Dobby is very happy that The Great Harry Potter sir freed him, but Dobby knows that he will die if he doesn't bond soon."

"Bond? Why do you want to bond again? I thought you wished to be a free elf?"

"Without the magic of the bond, house elves like me die sir, which is why we need it."

Due to his Muggle upbringing and subsequent lack of knowledge about the magical world, hearing this shocked Harry. "Err, I don't know much about these things, but is there anyway I could help you?" he asked.

"There is sir, but Dobby can't ask it of you sir, it is being too much sir". "I don't mind Dobby, it's the least I can do to you" Harry said, seeing that Dobby was about to burst by trying to control himself. Following his instincts, he added "I want you to tell me, Dobby".

"Dobby can bond with you Harry Potter sir,if you want it sir, Dobby will never act against Harry Potter sir's wishes."

Seeing that bonding probably meant a great deal to him Harry quickly agreed and bonded with him. Just seeing the little house elf's happy face made the decision worth it, he decided.

Dismissing him for now, he set off towards Gryffindor tower. He had just passed the Charms classroom on the fifth floor when someone grabbed his hands and pulled him into the empty room. High on adrenaline and on instinct he pulled out his wand and shouted 'EXPELLIARMUS'. He expected a bright red beam to emerge from his wand but was surprised when a thin pinkish beam emerged from his wand and failed to do anything to his attacker.

"STOP! I am only here to talk!" cried out a panicked feminine voice from behind him. He turned to see a blonde girl with bright deep blue eyes trying her best not to panic. He looked at her and noticed the Slytherin crest and colour on her robes and then finally recognised her: Greengrass. Daphne Greengrass. The only person in their class, who managed to defeat Hermione in a duel in Lockhart's Duelling club.

'What does she want with me?' he thought.

"Tell me why I shouldn't attack you right now?" Harry said out loud.

"Potter, I am here just for talking, there's no need to be violent here," Daphne replied. She eyed his wand, which was still pointed at her, and decided to put hers away first.

"There. I am unarmed now, so put down that wand down before you hurt yourself" she added in her cold, sharp voice.

Despite all of his instincts suggesting otherwise, he reluctantly put his wand back up his sleeve.

"What do you want Greengrass? I don't have time for any stupid acts of yours, so cut down the chase and say why you are here."

"I want to know if you've really gone down in the chambers" she said.

"And why should I bother to tell you? For all I know you are just here on Malfoy's order to make some new rumour about me being a dark lord" Harry said without putting much thought about it. Whatever reaction he had expected from her, it was not for her turn a deep shade of purple which rivalled Vernon Dursley's infamous livid face.

"Don't compare me to that piece of shit Potter. You should know better than to speak about things of which you know nothing about. I had thought that after these months of isolation you'll be a little less bigoted, but it seems that staying all that time with that Weasel has gone into your head," she snarled.

"Hey! That's my best mate you are talking about, mind your tongue."

"It's not right for me to belittle that weasel, but you're okay with comparing me with Malfoy of all people? And people say that Slytherins are the bigoted ones."

"Fine, why do you want to know about the Chambers?"

"I just want to know if the creature that nearly harmed my sister is dead or not."

Harry was dumbfounded.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, "I never heard about any slytherin involved in the attack."

"There's not much of a surprise there, after all who gives any thoughts to the problems we face. She was there when the Ravenclaw prefect was attacked. She didn't see anything of importance. All she saw was the shadow of the beast slipping away and the stone-faced body of the prefect she was speaking to not a minute earlier. She has been having nightmares for all this time and refuses to go alone anywhere, but no one has been there to offer her help except Professor Snape. And even he isn't able to help us much since the rest of the school has been alienating and blaming us for the attacks. So I ask again, what happened down in the Chambers?"

She would've laughed at Harry's reaction, had the situation not been so serious."

He opened his mouth and shut it twice without managing to say anything. Finally getting over his shock he managed to stammer "I am sorry for your sister, I never thought about you guys facing those same problems too. For all its worth I apologize for the trouble my housemates may have given you."

"Save the speech Potter, just tell me if the beast is dead or not," Daphne replied coldly.

"The basilisk's dead. I killed it and the err…thing which caused its release is destroyed too," he replied not wanting to give away any crucial details.

"BASILISK! A BASILISK IN THE SCHOOL! And tell me Potter how did you manage to kill it when you can hardly use the disarming hex properly? " she asked, exasperated.

"I killed it with a sword and I can use the disarming hex properly… its just that my wand has been acting a bit differently ever since the Chamber incident. Anyways, yes, there was a Basilisk and it's dead now, because I killed it."

Realizing that he was serious, she nodded. "Alright. Thank you Potter, for killing that beast. You can now use it to great benefit. And though this chat has been very interesting, I've got to go back. Good Night." She turned and began to leave.

"Wait, Greengrass! How will it benefit me?" he shouted as Daphne was nearing the door.

Without turning back, she said softly: "Send me a letter, Potter, and I'll see that you get it."

Seeing that there was no point staying in an empty room after dark he left for the dorms, all the while all the while reflecting on the seemingly impossible events that had happened to him that day.

 **AN: There's the first chapter folks. Tell me how did you find it? Like it? Love it? Or was it eww..?**

 **REVIEW!**

 **P.S. there's a reason why the wand reacted differently.**

 **Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: DECISIONS**

 **Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter franchise. This is a work of art meant for entertainment. I make no money from this.**

'' _ **There are strange likenesses between us, even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by muggles. Probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself. We even look a bit alike-"**_

"I am nothing like you Riddle" Harry interrupted.

"Are you not? Tell me, did you not wish for something to take you away from the muggles __you lived with? Don't you wish the Headmaster to allow you to stay here during the summer? Don't you wish to prove yourself better than the pathetic muggles you live with? Answer me!" Riddle said.

Despite wanting to dismiss any likeliness he found between the two of them, Harry couldn't help but agree with what Riddle said.

"Just admit it Harry Potter, you are just a weak, pathetic copy of me."

"I am not WEAK!"

"Yes you are, you are no match for the wrath of Lord Voldemort. And now you shall suffer for ever standing against me." Riddle raised the wand and a bright green flash of light emerged from it.

"NOOOOO-" and Harry woke up with a start. Harry lay flat on his back, breathing hard as though he had been running. He poured himself a glass of water and sat back thinking about the dream. He wondered if Riddle was right about him being weak. True, he was no Hermione Granger but neither was he a slouch by any means. But he knew that he could be better, loads better than now if he really applied himself to the subjects. Thinking back to Greengrass' remark about using the disarming hex, he couldn't help but think that his spell arsenal was woefully small, heck, even Ron must know more spells than him. Deciding to take a serious stand regarding his studies he dressed up and went to the common room.

"Harry! Its good you are here, I was about to go the Great Hall for breakfast, do you want to join me or are you going to wait for Ron to come?" Hermione said while seating herself beside him on the couch.

"We should get going; you know how Ron likes to sleep in on weekends."

They left the common room and were on the way to the Great Hall when they were joined by Neville.

"Hey guys, do you mind if I join you?" he asked.

"Not at all Neville, please do."

"So what electives are guys going to choose? I am thinking about taking Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes."

Hermione being herself started voicing her thoughts immediately. "I want to take all of the electives. Runes and Arithmancy seems interesting enough and Magical Creatures looks like it will be fun. I am curious about how they think about Muggles here so I want to take it, and though I have doubts about Divination, I don't want to miss anything."

"Hermione you know that we are permitted to take a maximum of three electives right?" Harry asked.

"I know, but I spoke with Professor McGonagall and she said that she would try to do something to adjust my schedule" she replied in a defiant tone.

Neville couldn't believe anyone would try to take all the electives. Though he knew Hermione was quite studious and probably a genius too, he had many relatives who were like that in their school days, though as far as he recalled no one had ever taken five electives for their third year. In a nervous voice he added "Hermione what you are speaking of is practically impossible, the lectures of these subjects are held at the same time at different parts of the castle. Besides why do you even want to take Muggle studies? I mean, no offence, but you are a muggleborn; surely you don't have the need to know what's going on in the Muggle world? And as far as divination goes, the class is a bit of a joke here. There isn't much to learn in the subject if you aren't a true seer, which apparently runs in the blood."

A frown appeared on Hermione's face as she heard what Neville had to say. She couldn't find a fault in his logic, but a part of her wanted to achieve the best scores possible in the OWLs, which she had read were very important for her career. "But what if I need extra OWLs to get the job I want in my future? I need to be prepared for it."

"You can give the OWLs without attending the elective classes too Hermione; if that's what you're worried about then don't fear, all you have to do is request the Ministry to conduct your exam and you'll be called there." Seeing that she was still a bit hesitant to say anything and Harry was silent about the topic he decided to ask him. "What about you Harry? Which electives are you going to take?"

"I am not sure anymore. I had signed up for Divination and Magical Creatures with Ron before, but I can't help but think that I'd be wasting my time there."

"Well you certainly won't be learning anything there. If an easy grade is what you want then Divination is the one you should take. But personally i think that you might want to consider taking Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, they are quite involved in offensive and defensive magic, and with all of those adventures you keep having I'm sure you might need the someday."

"Yes Harry, take those classes, I am sure it will be important" Hermione added.

"I guess yeah…. I think I'll do it today, speak to McGonagall about it, there's something I've been meaning to ask her anyways. Say Hermione, apart from you, who are the top students in our year?" he asked her while seating himself between Neville and her.

"Well from Ravenclaw Padma Patil and Terry Boot are at the top while from Hufflepuff Susan Bones and Ernie Macmillan score the most and Daphne Greengrass and Blaise Zabini are Slytherin's top students. Why do you ask Harry?"

"Just curious" he replied blandly, not wanting to tell her that he was curious about Greengrass, having just seen her leave the Great Hall with a fellow Slytherin girl.

xxxxx

Evening, outside Prof. McGonagall's office.

'KNOCK'

"Come in" came a stern voice from inside.

Harry opened the door and moved towards the empty chair opposite to McGonagall.

"Ah, , I certainly wasn't expecting you at this hour. Have a seat."

"Professor I came here to discuss about my choice of electives for the next year with you."

"What of it?"

"I wish to change my electives Professor. I think Divination would be a waste of time for me Professor, I think it would be better if I take Ancient Runes and Arithmancy along with Magical creatures" Harry said firmly.

McGonagall's lips twitched just a bit upon hearing this and she had the ghost of a smile on her face which didn't go unnoticed by Harry.

"Well its good to see that you are being serious about your studies now , after the first two years I had given up the hope that you'd inherit much of Lily's passion for studies, though I must say that even James was one of the best students I've ever had."

"Did you know them well Professor? Can you tell me a bit about their school days?" Harry asked softly, curious to know more about his parents.

"Well James was very talented in Transfiguration, and used to be in the top 5 of his year all the time. He had a natural flair for the subject and used to surprise me every few classes with some advance Transfiguration he shouldn't have even known about. Lily on the other hand seemed to favour Charms more, and from what I used to hear from Professor Flitwick she was an excellent student. She was preparing for her Mastery in the subject under him when the war broke out. They both were the top students of their year when they graduated, Lily coming first, followed by James."

Hearing this he couldn't help but feel ashamed of his scores. They were far from being the best in the school. Once again he mentally vowed to do better and be the best among his year.

Seeing his sad face, McGonagall said "well there's no reason to be sad about it, you have the talent to succeed, you just need to apply yourself to your studies. If you don't mind me asking, what made you take Divination as an elective? As far as I've heard you've got no interest in that subject, so I was surprised when you decided to take that …subject as an elective."

"Well I discussed it with Ron during our classes and he said it was good for us to improve our scores, so I decided to trust his judgement and took the same subjects as he did."

"And now you have convinced him to do otherwise?"

"No, he didn't agree."

A frown appeared on his face as he remembered the conversation he had with Ron earlier in the day.

FLASHBACK

Near the lake, Afternoon.

Harry, Hermione and Ron were sitting under a tree relaxing when Harry remembered the talk he had in the morning.

"Hey Ron, I was thinking about dropping Divination and taking Ancient Runes and Arithmancy instead of it."

A confused look appeared on Ron's face. "Runes and Arithmancy? Whatever for Harry? Divination is perfect. I've heard the Professor who teaches it doesn't even pay attention to what the class is doing. We could easily sleep in her class and fun and at the same time get good grades."

"Come on Ron, don't speak like that" Hermione chided him.

"Yeah mate, I've heard what happens in her class, its of no use to us in our future, it's a complete waste of time. I've already decided to speak to McGonagall about it late today."

"Seriously Harry, what's wrong with you? Since when did you become so studious? I think you've been influenced by Hermione mate. Stop doing that, we don't need another Hermione here" Ron said without giving a look to Hermione, who turned away him and slowly got up and said in a weak voice" I'll talk to you later Harry" barely containing her sobs.

"What the hell Ron? Why did you have to say something like that?" Harry said before adding "Don't you understand you hurt her" seeing the blank face of Ron who had no idea of what he had just caused.

"Go apologize to her now Ron!"

"Why? I mean its not like I've said anything new is it. She's used to this, she'll get over it, and even you can't deny she's starting to have a bad influence on you. I mean seriously Runes and Arith-"

"We'll talk later Ron. Goodbye" Harry said angrily and walked away without looking back.

FLASHBACK OVER

"Well it is nice to see you are taking your studies seriously , your parents would've been proud of you, and I hope that you improve your performance from the next year. Now if there's nothing else you want to ask me then I suggest you head back to the Great Hall, the dinner is about to start soon and I don't think you'd want to miss the leaving feast.

"Good day Professor, it was nice talking to you."

"Good day ."

Xxxxxxxx

Harry woke up the next day with a serious headache. The feast last night had turned into a huge celebration with the return of Hagrid and Gryffindor winning the house cup for the second year running, and it had been well past 4 in the morning when they had gone back to bed. He looked up to see the mess on his bedside table and wondered how he was to clean it up in time to catch the Hogwarts Express, when he thought of Dobby. Wondering if Dobby would do it for him he called out "Dobby".

A loud crack was followed by the sudden appearance of Dobby.

"Master Harry Potter Sir calls Dobby. What can Dobby do for you sir?"

"I was wondering if you'd help me pack these things Dobby" he said pointing out the huge mess beside his bed.

"Dobby be doing it on his own sir. Master Harry Potter need not be concerning himself with such small tasks sir. Dobby be doing it right away sir."

And with that he took off to start cleaning up the mess(which surprisingly took less than a minute, 'cool eh' he thought to himself) .

With nothing else to do he dressed up and went to the Great Hall for breakfast where he was joined by Neville.

Too soon it was time for them to board the Hogwarts Express. Harry started off alone and was about to save a compartment for his friends when he saw Greengrass alone. "Happy holidays Greengrass" he wished.

"You too Potter, though I believe you would be having quite an eventful summer" she said stoically before turning and leaving. Great he thought to himself, 'another one of those cryptic messages. Argh.'

Sitting down in the empty compartment he waited for his friends to come and soon enough he could spot a group of redheads coming his way.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, the twins and Neville took a compartment for themselves.

"Hey, anybody up for a game of exploding snaps?" Ron asked.

"Sure, can't-"

"See why not?" the twins added.

"I'll pass" Harry said, while all the others agreed.

Watching the lanes and fields pass by, Harry wondered about the past adventures he had been involved in and contemplated how he could have done better. It was quite clear to him that he needed to be more hard working and passionate about his studies, at least the subjects which could be used for defending himself and attacking his opponent. The next thing he decided he needed to improve was his physique. He knew he had developed a bit of endurance and strength from all those Quidditch practices under Wood, but still had a long way to go before he could consider himself fit. Spending the rest of the journey gazing out the window, he started planning the summer at Dursleys.

Xxxxxxxx

Meanwhile, in Headmaster's office:

An aged looking wizard was pacing around the office, sucking at the lemon drop in his hand, lost in deep thoughts. Suddenly he took a seat, looked upon the fire bird perched near the window and said "What do you think Fawkes? Its quite clear that he has a piece of Tom's soul in his scar. I checked him myself when he first came to Hogwarts. Furthermore, he doesn't seem to be anywhere near talented or motivated enough to defeat Tom when he eventually comes back. I had thought that the misadventures of his first two years may have made an impression upon him to train himself a bit. But he seems content enough to follow that Weasley boy around, wasting his time. I checked with Minerva the day after the elective forms were given, he has chosen to study Divination and Magical creatures. I think the _power he knows not_ is the protection Harry's mother provided him with. I had thought of taking him under my wing if he had shown interest in the obscure magicks but observing him for these two years, I think it would be better if I let him enjoy his childhood while it lasts. Because if he doesn't master the magicks which he was to learn, it may be possible that he dies from the backlash of destroying the horcrux in him."

Fawkes crooned softly and flashed away to be in the wild.

But being Albus Dumbledore and holding the amount of titles and posts made him busy enough that he wasn't able to see the look of pure determination upon Harry's face when he left the castle. Nor was he able to attend the staff meeting where Minerva discussed the conversation she had with the said boy and anticipated his actions in the near future.

 **AN: That's it for this chapter. The length of the chapters will increase slowly until it reaches about 5-6k (most probably). Thank you for all your reviews and suggestions. So did you like this chapter? If you have any suggestions about how the story should move forward, do tell.**

 **Goodbye until next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I am sorry for the slow update, but I was quite busy due to my exams, which won't end till May. I am taking time to write this whenever possible, and….well hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Potterverse…blah blah blah…. Wouldn't need to do anything if I did..**

 **Alright down to this one then,**

 **CHAPTER 3- THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN**

It was nine in the morning when Harry was woken up by a loud screech. He opened his eyes groggily and saw a barn owl perched upon his window sill, with a couple of letters in a poorly sealed envelope. Noticing it was Errol, the Weasley home owl, he offered it some water and a couple of owl treats, much to the dismay of Hedwig, who hooted in a most disapproving way and swatted his head till he gave her some owl treats to. Chuckling at the behaviour of his owl, Harry took the package and saw it was a letter from Ron with a packet of Cauldron cakes under preservation charm. Taking out the letter he began to read it:

Dear Harry,

You can't imagine what happened to us mate. Dad won some annual lottery at the Ministry and won 700 galleons! 700 mate! We are going to Egypt to meet Bill, and mom has promised to get a new wand for me this week too. I am finally getting my own wand mate, I am so excited.

We are leaving for Egypt tomorrow, so I thought I should let you know that I won't be able to send much letters for over a month. We'll be back about a couple of weeks before term starts. Any chance of meeting you then?

Anyways, don't let the muggles get you down!

Ron.

P.S. Percy's the Head Boy. He got the letter yesterday.

He took out the enclosed newspaper clipping, smoothed it out and read:

 _MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE_

 _Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw._

 _A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, "We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a curse-breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank."_

 _The Weasley family will be spending over a month in Egypt returning for the start of the new academic year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizarding, which five of their children currently attend._

Harrygrinned at the moving photo, seeing the seven Weasleys in front of their home, The Burrow, waving furiously. Right in the middle of the photo, was Ron, tall and gangling, with his pet rat, Scabbers.

He couldn't help but be happy about the news. Despite his argument with Ron, he was still one of his best friends, and the Weasley family certainly did deserve some gold.

A shrill voice suddenly came from the floor below "If you want breakfast, come down now boy, we don't have all day to entertain you."

Harry grinned as he heard his aunt. Things were quite different this summer. He had to stifle a laugh as he thought about the day he came back.

 _ **FLASHBACK**_

Harry had just shut the door when Uncle Vernon, came up to him and picked him up by his shirt's collar and bellowed "Listen here you boy, I won't be having any of your freakishness here. Last summer was the last straw, if you put one toe out of the line, I'll make sure you won't be in any condition to attend your freak place. And you'll be helping your aunt with all the chores around here, its time you start earning your keep. Do you understand?"

"No. I don't think so" Harry said and pushed away his uncle's hand. Looking at the shocked faces of the Dursleys he couldn't help but chuckle at their expressions. "I am done with you bossing around here uncle. I won't be doing any chores for you and you shall feed me properly too. No more small portions or leftovers. And I will be studying Magic too. Yes magic."

Trying his best not to look like a gaping fish, Uncle Vernon turned a shade of purple Harry didn't know was possible. Seeing that Vernon was not capable of forming any words Harry added "You see I have some help here. Dobby!"

Immediately Dobby appeared with a loud _crack._ "Master Harry Potter be calling Dobby? What can Dobby being doing Master Harry Potter sir?"

"Just do some magic Dobby" Harry said. Feeling mischievous he smirked and added "Vanish the carpet in the living room."

The Dursleys who were watching the creature talk with Harry with shock and fear, with all of them hiding near the couch became even more scared, if that was possible, when the carpet underneath their feet vanished with nothing but a snap of that creature's fingers.

"What is that…thing?" Petunia managed to stammer out.

"That Auntie is my dear house elf Dobby. He will be running errands for me and make sure that you lot aren't up to something…fishy. So make sure that all of you are on your best behaviour at all times, because simple accidents can happen all the time, correct?" Harry said with a cruel smirk on his face, pointing to the place where the carpet used to be. "Dobby, take my stuff in my room."

The Dursleys watched with shock as just with a snap of that creature's fingers, the entire luggage vanished.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Daphne Greengrass' room; Greengrass Manor.

Daphne lay on her bed, thinking about the day she encountered Potter. He was tired, robes filthy, and covered in dirt and blood. He looked worn out and beaten, but gave off an aura of power when he tried to attack her. She would've laughed at him when he said that he killed a Basilisk, had it not been for his less than tidy condition. Listening to him just speak about his adventure, she realized that she had been wrong about him. Like everyone, she was under an illusion that he was just an average student with no extraordinary power or talents and had just scoffed when some rumours had come up the previous year about him killing Professor Quirell. She had just assumed that there must've been some incident involving the Professor and Headmaster Dumbledore, and as always Potter was given undeserved credit for some heroic act. But thinking about it now, she could not help but disagree with her fellow slytherins. Malfoy had spared no effort in disgracing Potter's talents, and while he may have not shown aptitude for any of the subjects just yet, she was sure that it was bound to change soon. She had seen his look of determination and felt the power rolling off him in waves. She hadn't felt that intimidated even in front of her father, who was no slouch either. She was sure it was just a matter of time before Potter started to utilise all the power at his disposal, both magical and political. She knew that the Potters were an old family, dating back centuries before hers, and had a seat at the wizengamot too. But seeing Potter's tattered and baggy clothes, she thought that either they must have lost a lot of money in the war or he wasn't aware of his heritage. Regardless, she decided to inform him that he could make a lot of money by its sale and a lot of publicity too. She owed him that much for helping her sister. Well that and he had caught her attention. Wondering if he would indeed write to her, she fell asleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Next morning, No.4 Privet Drive.

All the Dursleys and Harry were having breakfast when the doorbell rang.

"Go check the door Dudley" Vernon said.

"Make Harry do it, I am eating" he replied hotly.

Vernon cringed upon hearing this and looked nervously towards Harry, who looked him in the eye and raised an eyebrow, clearly giving him a look which said 'You don't want to do this.'

Vernon turned towards Dudley and said "You will do what I say Dudley. Now go. No arguments."

To say Dudley was shocked would be an understatement. He sat there looking confused for a moment before slowly getting up.

Harry chuckled as he saw Dudley trying to hold all the mail as he came back. But the smile on his face vanished as soon as Vernon said "Marge is going to come tomorrow for a couple of weeks."

Turning back to Harry, this time his face imitating a shark looking at its prey, he said "You know what this means don't you boy? No freakishness while she is here. And you will behave normally and be helpful while she stays here" all the while thinking how he could manage his sister to stay here for a bit longer, whole summer, if he could manage it.

Harry gulped as he remembered the last time she had come here. He still had the scar on his leg, where her dog had bit him. The look on his face clearly showed that he knew his threat of using Dobby could not work anymore.

Deciding that he best take care of his matters soon, he left the living room in a hurry and went to his room. 'I have letters to write and books to order' he thought. He took some parchment and books from his trunk and hid most of them under the loose floorboard. Few rolls of parchment in one hand and quill and ink in the other, he sat on the chair and started writing a letter to Ron and Hermione. Telling them that his aunt would be visiting him and not to send him any letters in daytime he finished their letters.

He took so more parchment and wrote-

To Flourish and Blotts,

I am Harry Potter, and I would like to order the books available on magical theory. I am currently in my third academic year at Hogwarts and would appreciate if you manage to send me a list of books of appropriate levels.

Yours sincerely,

Harry J. Potter.

He was about to call Hedwig for delivering these letters when he remembered Greengrass' words 'Send me a letter Potter.' Sighing he sat again and started writing the letter.

 _Dear Greengrass,_

Hope you are having a good summer. I have been thinking about what you said the other night. But the only thing I have been able to come up with is using the corpse of the basilisk, but I don't know how it would work out. I am not even sure if that's what you meant. I know that I probably sound very ignorant and naive but that's due to my less than amiable upbringing. Nevertheless I plan on researching a bit on it, so any help would be appreciated.

How has your summer been so far? I hope your sister is feeling better now. I know from personal experience that it is quite hard to witness such an attack. Anyways I hope you'll reply soon.

Yours,

Harry J Potter.

Finishing the last letter he put all of them in separate envelopes and tied it to Hedwig's legs. "Hey girl, these are for Ron and Hermione" he said, pointing towards its left leg. "And this is for the Flourish and Blotts shop in Diagon alley and Daphne Greengrass, I don't know where she lives, but I guess you can deliver it too, right?"

Hedwig gave an affirmative hoot and took off. Sitting on the edge of his bed, Harry began to plan the next few days. He knew that Marge would never let him stay alone in his room for long, so he decided to start upon his physical exercise. He changed into Dudley's old jersey and joggers and went downstairs.

"Uncle Vernon" he called out.

"What is it boy?"

"I am going to start doing some physical activities and you are going to convince Marge not to interfere in it. Do this and I will uphold my end of the deal. Oh and sign this too" he said pulling out a slip. "It is from my school, so no need to read it. Just sign it quickly."

Vernon looked like he was about to argue but then thought the better of it. After all, Marge wasn't here just yet, and the freak could call that creature again. He quickly took a pen and signed it.

'At least that's done with' Harry thought and went outside.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Next day, No.4 Privet drive:

"Now remember boy, none of your freakishness here, and you better keep your creature out of here too. If Marge so much as even suspects anything funny, you'll be wishing you were never born" Vernon spoke in a loud voice.

"Yes Uncle Vernon" Harry replied blandly.

"Now go help your Aunt while I bring her home" Vernon said and left without waiting for a reply.

Ten minutes later found Dudley being fussed over by Marge in the living room and Harry being forced to handle her luggage. Still Harry did not mind this, as it gave him an excuse for not being under her gaze, which was the best gift _he_ could ever hope for. Taking as much time as possible and bumping the bags as frequently as possible Harry managed to put Marge's entire luggage in the guest room. He was about to go downstairs when he noticed that the door to the attic was open. 'That's weird. Aunt Petunia makes sure to keep this door well locked away.'

Too curious to bother going downstairs he sneaked into the room. The first thing he noticed was the lack of dust or cobwebs or anything dirty. It was surprisingly clean for an attic. There were some boxes staked over each other. He opened one at random and began to search through its contents. Whatever he had expected, it certainly wasn't a journal which read- 'The property of Lily.' He quickly pocketed the diary and began to search the contents of the boxes. To say that he was shocked would be an understatement. Some of the boxes contained letters her mother had written to her parents and Petunia. He pocketed the letters and the journal and went to his room.

Deciding to read the journal and the letters at a later time, he put them under the floorboard and went downstairs.

The moment he entered the dining room, Marge said "You boy, what were you doing all this time? Do you require so much time to put some luggage upstairs? You are nothing but a lazy ungrateful boy who does nothing but waste our money. Now get here and clean the table. Feed the leftovers to my dog, you won't be getting any food now. Come on quickly, don't just stand there." Barely managing to restraint himself from reacting, Harry sent his Aunt a glare and did his chores.

The rest of the day passed by without any major events. Harry managed to avoid any more confrontations with Marge and spent most of his time outside, working out. It was late in the night when Harry finally removed his mom's journal from its hiding place. He opened it and the first thing he saw was a sealed letter. He took the letter and began to read it-

 _Dear Harry,_

 _It is with a heavy heart that I am writing this letter. I do not know if you'll ever have to read this, I surely hope not; as it pains me to even consider_ _that I won't be there for you when you grow up. This letter has been charmed to reach you in the event that your father and I do not survive this war. The war is proving to be more difficult to handle than we ever expected it to be. It is even more likely that we do not survive this, as Lord Voldemort has made our family one of his primary target. The details have been largely unknown, but the Headmaster- Albus Dumbledore has mentioned of a prophecy involving you and our family. This has been the sole reason for us to go into hiding for over a year. Peter has kindly accepted the role as our new secret keeper this week. I must say that your father found friends for life in Sirius, Remus and Peter. Even I haven't been so close to anyone as they are._

 _I want you to know that you are much loved Harry, very much loved indeed. You are the best thing that has ever happened to not only your father and me, but also his friends. Sirius especially has taken his duty as your godfather with great enthusiasm. There has not been a single day in the fourteen months of your life when he hasn't visited you. Sometimes I think he thinks of you as his own child, he certainly loves you as one._

 _Apart from this I want you to know your duty towards family Harry. It is very important to care for your family, and work for them. I feel very fortunate to be a member of the House of Potter. It is an honour to be the mother of the heir of the house. It is your duty to maintain and improve its reputation. But the one thing I want you to do in any circumstance in your life is to be happy. Live your life, and make a name for yourself. Don't be intimidated by anyone. Make your own decisions and stay proud of them. Do not let anybody control your life._

 _With lots of love,_

 _Lily Potter._

 _3_ _rd_ _October, 1981._

Tears flowed freely as Harry read this letter again and again; trying to memorize the last connection he had with his mother. It was nearly two hours later when he finally folded his letter and fell asleep.

The next day found Harry with a new sense of belief and confidence. He now knew for a fact that his parents loved him. As he slowly started to regain his senses and gather his thoughts, he wondered what became of the people mentioned in the letter. Sirius, his godfather seemed to love him as his own child, surely he wouldn't have left him to stay with the Dursleys voluntarily.

As luck would have it, he got the answer to that very question the same day.

It was evening and everyone was watching television. Dudley was going on and on about a new show that had come up and everyone was watching it. Though Harry was getting bored, he did not share his thoughts as he did not want to miss the rare occasion of being allowed to watch the television. The lady in the scene was blabbing about something, when the T.V. screen suddenly went black. Shortly a man was seen on the screen and he started saying, "This is an emergency broadcast. A highly dangerous prisoner by the name of Sirius Black has escaped a high security prison and is on the run. Black is considered dangerous and armed. He was arrested in 1981 for the murder of thirteen people in broad daylight. I repeat, this man is very dangerous and viewers are advised to avoid any confrontations with the man, and to contact the appropriate authorities if sighted. Thank you." A photo showing the face of a man who looked a bit mad but was certainly handsome. It was Sirius. His Sirius.

With a blink the man was gone and the show resumed.

"What kind of news is this? They didn't even tell us where he escaped from?" Vernon bellowed.

The others followed suit and started cursing the man and muttering about 'no good men' and 'wasting other people's lives.' But no one managed to take a glance at Harry who had turned to be as white as a sheet by the time the news clip had ended.

'There couldn't be any mistake' Harry thought. He got up and left the room without bothering up and went to his room. He was shocked. He couldn't fathom why this all seemed to happen to him. He didn't know what to make of the news. He thought that Sirius couldn't actually be a criminal. Not according to the way his mother had written about him. And why would he even bother to deal with muggles, he was a wizard for crying out loud. Why would all of a sudden he become interested in killing muggles, and why would the muggle news broadcast it. This made no sense; he had to get more details about this. He wanted to write a letter, but Hedwig wasn't back yet. He sighed, and reluctantly lay down on the bed, knowing that there wasn't much he could do while being here. Thinking about how his life would have been if he had been raised by his godfather or his parent's friend, Harry slept, still in his day clothes.

The next morning Harry was woken up by a loud screech from Petunia. Dressing up, he went downstairs to find Marge in a very bad mood.

"Boy! Where did you go last night? You didn't ask any of us if you were to go. Your aunt had to do chores because of your laziness you ungrateful swine. I should've brought my cane with me. There's nothing a good beating won't do to a pathetic being like you."

Knowing that he couldn't do anything but listen to her rant, Harry tuned her out and set out to do his chores. The whole day passed on, but Harry was still working. He had managed to wash Vernon's car, paint the fence, mow the lawn, do the dishes and laundry; all without a meal throughout the day. It wouldn't surprise him if Dobby would be living better than him these days.

There is a breaking point in life for everyone. You can take only so much after all without any form of retaliation. Harry was no exception to this.

The supper was done with and the Dursleys and Marge had retired to the living room. A couple of empty wine bottles lay littered on the floor. Vernon and Marge were already on the verge of being wasted. Harry was managing quite well to stay out of Marge's vision; until Dudley in his infinite wisdom, threw a glass near Harry to throw a tantrum.

"Why are you still waiting boy? Pick that up. Be of some use to us hard working people. I still don't understand why you put up with him Vernon. If it had been me, he would've been straight off to an orphanage. You should consider yourself lucky boy that such hard working people are taking you in and giving you shelter. And you insufferable brat don't even have the decency to help them out in some chores and run some errands. You are just a useless piece of shit. But I guess it is not even your fault. With that worthless piece of father you were bound to turn out bad. It happens all the time Petunia; I've seen it with dogs too. If the bitch is bad then the pup turns out to be a bad one. And for this boy, both his parents had the problem. His father was unemployed right? I guess a drunk too. Its his fault that they got blown up and made u come here. I kn-" she looked as if she wanted to continue but suddenly found herself swelling up.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP you vile woman! My parents were great people. They were hardworking and honest people, unlike your brother here and his useless family. You are the ones who have lost their brains and mind!"

By the time Harry had managed to say this, Marge had managed to swell up to thrice her original size and was now starting to float. Still angry Harry let out a growl of frustration and wild magic began to swirl around him. He found himself being lifted above the floor. He could feel the rush of magic inside him, coursing through his body, his veins. His magic wanted an outlet and damned would he be if he were going to deny it. Raising his arms he let out all the excess wild energy stored in him. The windows shattered, gusts of wind blew open the door and the sky started thundering. All the lights of the neighbourhood broke and the area looked like it had been through a storm.

Observing the devastating effects of his actions, Harry quickly went to his room and took his luggage (which seemed to sense his mood and packed itself rather quickly) and left the house.

The Dursleys were too frightened to do anything other than watch Harry as he left their home after blowing up not only Marge but the entire block.

Meanwhile; 's house:

was watching a cookery show when she suddenly heard the sky thundering. The weather suddenly changed from clear to stormy within a few seconds. In the following seconds lights went out. She knew that this was no ordinary thing. This was caused by magic. She hurried outside but couldn't see a thing as all the street lights were out too. She slowly walked towards No.4 where Harry lived, but by the time she reached there, Harry was already gone. She hurried back to her home and went to the empty fireplace.

"Headmaster's office, Hogwarts" she called and threw in some floo powder but alas, being the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW, Dumbledore was currently attending a meeting about the total international ban on…. Magical carpets? While this would cause quite some problems for him in the future, it was exactly what Harry needed as it allowed him to leave the clutches of his relatives.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry was several streets away before he collapsed onto a wall, near the park at Magnolia Crescent. He began to wonder the consequences of his actions- he had certainly used magic, but he had not received any owls yet. Perhaps they only register wand use he mused. Yet he was in an unknown place with no muggle money. On the contrary he had a lot of magical items which wouldn't make any sense to the muggle officers if they catch him.

It was several minutes after he had stopped his walk that he felt that he was being watched. He got up slowly, wand in his hand, and began to look around. He was going to give up his search when he saw a huge dog coming out of the bushes. He was covered in fur as black as the night itself. He seemed to be snarling, and Harry did not want to risk aggravating the dog now. Not so soon after his earlier exertion. He began to slowly walk backwards when he tripped over a stone and fell. There was a deafening BANG, and he had to shield his eyes from the sudden blinding lights. He looked up to see a purple double decker bus waiting in front of him. A loud voice caught his attention and he saw a thin man in a bus conductor's uniform step down from the bus and say "Welcome to the Knight Bus. The emergency transport service for stranded witches and wizards. I am Stan Shunpike and I will be your conductor for today." He looked up after reading the standard chit he was used to by now, to see that there was no one in front of him.

"Down here" Harry said.

"Watchoo doin down there?"

"I am not down by choice….i tripped over something and fell"

"So…you called the Knight Bus right?"

"err- yeah sure I did, now can you help me with my bag? I need to go to Diagon Alley."

After seating himself in the rather odd beds (?), Harry paid for the trip and bought himself a hot chocolate. Sipping it slowly he saw the Daily Prophet in Stan's hands. It was a special edition printed for the breakout of Sirius. Sensing an opportunity to gather more information here, Harry called Stan. "Say Stan, what were the charges placed against Sirius Black when he was arrested?"

"Charges….charges? why do u need to know the charges for? He was a murderer… he was known to be the right hand man of He-who-must-not-be-named. Killed thirteen people by a single spell. They say he betrayed the Potters to Voldemortfor his glory. Watchoo needin it for anyways? "

"Just curious that's it."

The rest of the journey went peacefully, as peaceful as it can ever be in a Knight Bus, and soon the bus stopped at Diagon Alley.

Harry exited the bus and quickly started to make his way when he was tapped on the shoulders by someone.

"Ah, Harry, here you are. Quite the debacle you ave made out there. Come, we have to talk."

 **AN: That's it for this chapter. There is a cliffhanger at the end(not really if you think about it though, we all know who it is.)**

 **Anyways, Reviews are appreciated as always, makes it more fun to write. And so are suggestions and any constructive criticism you may like to make.**

 **Not sure when my next update would be, like I said I still have exams, but I do have plans for continuing the story and it should turn out to be quite big and nice (I hope).**

 **Till next time then,**

 **-PurebloodPeverell**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Here's the new chapter! Sorry for the wait, hope you like it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Potterverse.**

 _CHAPTER 4: NEW BEGGININGS_

" _Ah, Harry, here you are. Quite the debacle you have made out there. Come, we have to talk."_

Harry looked up to see Cornelius Fudge, The Minister of Magic, smiling down at him, a bowler hat in his hand.

"Ah, Minister, how….great to see you here" Harry said, unsure of his situation with the law. 'Did I cause so much trouble that the minister himself came to apprehend me?' he wondered.

"Come Harry, let's not linger around in darkness in these troubled times, its best to stay inside. Come, follow me" the minister said and steered Harry inside the Leaky Cauldron.

"Tom, a room for one please, get one of the better ones, will you" the Minister said to the barkeep, who led them to one of the expensive rooms he had to offer. He beckoned them inside and informed that a meal would be provided shortly.

Harry followed the two men silently while planning his course of action. A part of him wanted to blurt out his offences and ask for forgiveness, but the better part wanted him to play out the situation to his benefits.

"You should be careful Harry, wandering around the streets at night, unescorted, especially in these troubled times. It was foolish of you to run away from your home so carelessly. Nevertheless, I have managed to procure a rent-free room for you to stay here for the rest of your vacations. I hope that will be satisfactory?"

Now Harry may not be political mastermind, but even he knew when someone was trying to get into his good books. The fact that the person just happened to be THE Minister of Magic didn't hurt his plans either. _Two could play this game_ he mused.

"Of course, Minister. It was very nice of you to come here personally. It shows how concerned you are about the rest of us" Harry said with a charming smile he had often seen on Vernon's face while he dealt with someone important. "I still hope though, that you would come to my aid if I require some help, after all _these are troubled times_ as you say Mr. Fudge. May I call you Mr. Fudge, Minister?" he added.

"Of course my boy, in fact you can call me Cornelius. After all there's no need for some unwanted formality between us, is there?" he replied rather pompously.

"Of course not, Cornelius."

"Now Harry. It is getting quite late and the meal should be coming anytime now. Get yourself some rest and enjoy your stay here. And if you don't mind me saying, try to stay on our side of the Alley. It's better to stay amongst people who can help you. I'll be going now if there's nothing else?" he said, clearly waiting for an answer.

"Well Cornelius, I wanted to know what happened to my aunt and …well the neighbourhood?"

"Nothing to worry about my boy, after all the best of us tend to lose control over our emotions. A squad of Obliviators and Reversal of Accidental Magic Department have been sent to take care of things."

With that the Minister exited and soon a meal for him arrived.

He reflected upon the incidents of the day while finishing his meal and soon retired to his bed and fell asleep.

The next morning, Harry woke up with a new sense of freedom. There was no one stopping him from doing anything he wanted. He quickly freshened himself and went downstairs to have breakfast. Deciding to adjust himself to a healthier lifestyle, he ordered cereal, fruits and a glass of milk. Glancing at the newspaper while having his meal, Harry noticed that his little _adventure_ went largely unnoticed as there was nothing mentioned in the Daily Prophet except that a case of accidental magic was witnessed in a muggle area. 'Good' he thought; no need for any bad press. He had experienced enough negative attention the past year from his schoolmates.

Soon he left the Leaky Cauldron, and entered the Diagon Alley. It was as vibrant and bright as ever. He found himself lost in the wonders of the magic, as he slowly made his way to his first stop-Gringotts. He soon arrived at the magnificent white building and entered. He went to the nearest teller and called him. "Hello, I would like to get an evaluation done of my belongings in this bank" he said politely to the goblin. The goblin looked down at him with a distasteful expression and sneered at him before saying "And who might you be, to ask for an evaluation?"

Deciding to not buckle under the gaze of the goblin, Harry said in a strong and confident voice "I am Harry Potter, and I wish to ask for the evaluation."

The goblins eyes instantly darted towards his scar on the forehead and then nodded before saying "Wait for some time, your account manager will be here shortly to escort you."

It was less than a minute later, when a goblin dressed in impeccable suit and escorted by a couple of goblin warriors made his way to Harry. The goblin dressed in suit stepped forward and beckoned Harry to follow him.

Harry followed them past the main room, into a corridor he did not know existed and they soon came to a halt outside a large bronze door with Axelblade craved into it with golden letters.

The dressed up goblin, who Harry figured as Axelblade, sat down on a large armchair at one end of a large exquisite mahogany table. He seated himself on the much smaller chair on the opposite side of the table. Mustering all of his confidence and keeping his face impassive, he said "I was told that you would be able to give me an evaluation of my holdings here."

"Yes, I was rather curious as to why you didn't want such a thing when you first visited the bank. However, let's not waste time upon past decisions. As of now, you are the Heir presumptive to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. This entails that you are to inherit the Potter Family Vaults- which include the monetary and heirloom vaults. Furthermore you are also appointed as the heir to the personal account of -Fleamont Potter, James Potter and Lily Potter-Evans. Now the vault belonging to the deceased Fleamont Potter contains a considerable amount of value and is the only Potter account that is still active and generating incomes. The accounts held by James Potter and Lily Potter-Evans do not hold much monetary value as they used most of it in the Wizarding war against the Dark Lord Voldemort. However you need not concern yourself with this as even under its peak conditions the contents of these vaults do not hold a candle to the contents of the Family Vault."

This was too much information for Harry to be taken all at once. He asked Axelblade to explain why there were different vaults so many individual vaults.

"When James Potter died, he was not the Lord Potter, as it was only a while before your grandfather, the then Lord Potter had deceased, and as such had access only to his trust vault. He however made sure to name you his heir, which upon his demise made you the heir presumptive of House Potter. Fleamont Potter was a successful Potions Master and was successful in the making of Sleekeazy's hair potion which was a huge success. He decided to store the profits of this venture in his own personal vault, to which you are the heir mentioned in his will." He finished this by giving him documents for each vault accompanied by a grand total at the bottom of the document. Seeing that, Harry had a moment of shock. All these years, he had to live as a beggar when he was entitled to a huge fortune.

"What do you suggest Axelblade? How should I manage these accounts?" he asked tentatively.

The goblin seemed happy to be asked this question as he gave a rather toothy grin before he said "You should take up the position of Heir, as it would allow you to remove the accounts from lockdown and invest them to gain profits. As of now a large amount of gold is stored under the Potter Family Vault, but is of no use for you. And though you may not be able to withdraw money from this until you become the Lord Potter, you may still invest it into various ventures."

After a few painfully slow hours, Harry James Potter, the Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter walked out of Gringotts with a considerably large amount of gold and a trunk of his fathers' from the vaults.

Deciding to give his appearance an overhaul, he went to Madam Malkin's and bought casual and formal robes and got his vision corrected thanks to an ingenious potion. He then proceeded to get a new trunk with some security and buy some of his school books from Flourish and Blotts. Now that all of this was dealt with, he decided to solve the problem which had made him most anxious. He went to Ollivanders and stepped inside. Immediately he was reminded of his first visit and felt the presence of some esoteric and eldritch magical forces.

"Ah ! I was certainly not expecting you here so soon after getting your first wand. Holly and Phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple. Tell me what's bothering you."

"My wand has been acting weirdly . I was recently involved in a …adventure, and since then I have lost the familiarity I had with my wand. It's worrying me."

"Oh! Speak no more " Ollivander said as he made his way to Harry and traced the now faint scar on his forehead. "Yes, yes" he muttered, before taking a look at his arm where he was bitten by the basilisk.

"Come inside , this is an unusual situation" he said before going back into what he thought was a storeroom. The moment he stepped inside, a shiver ran down his spine as he felt the ambient magic in the room.

"So you notice it too? Curious, curious" Ollivander muttered again before bringing out a large silver basin with many symbols inscribed on it.

"It is very rare that a person undergoes such a drastic change in his magic in a lifetime as you have. Suffice to say this is the first time that I am _crafting_ a new wand from scratch" he said in a voice filled with joy.

He took out a silver dagger and beckoned him forward. Taking Harry's hand, he made a cut on his palm and let some blood flow into the silver basin. Harry watched with a shocked expression as the cut started to heal itself. Ollivander, meanwhile, started pouring vials of smoky liquid in the basin for a few minutes till he was satisfied.

"Interesting, it is definitely going to be a challenge" he muttered to no one in general.

"Now I must ask you to leave. I shall have your wand ready within two days" he said and started working.

Seeing that there wasn't anything to do here he went back to his room in the Leaky Cauldron. The next couple of days passed in a haze. Harry had taken up reading the books he found in his father's trunk and doing physical exercise. He had read a book on wizarding etiquettes` and one on nobility, along with a guide on magical theory. Harry had never considered himself to be an avid reader, but the book was so interesting and the fact that he was able to grasp up the knowledge at a fast pace, allowed him to quickly finish through the book. The book seemed to be screaming out only a couple of words in his mind "Intent and Desire." Intent to perform a task, from simple transfiguration, to complex wards, it is important to have the intent clear; the book quoted "The user must have a clear intent as to what he wants to perform, and an equal desire to achieve the result." He found that strangely appropriate. It dispelled the theories that wand movements and incantations were required for all spells to work. If one could feel his magic and will it to perform a task, it will, irrespective of the movements or incantations so required. He decided to try this out once he was able to use his wand, which was supposed to be ready by today. He did his morning rituals, dressed himself rather nicely and made out towards the Ollivander's. He had only stepped inside the shop when he heard a voice carry out from the back of the shop.

"Ah! I was wondering when you would come here , your wand has been crafted and is ready for you. Now I usually say that the wand chooses the wizard, but this time I have to say that you've chosen a very peculiar wand. Here it is" he said and presented him a finely polished black box.

Harry took the box and opened it to see the most beautiful wand he had ever seen. It was white with red patterns adorning it from base to top. The wand was longer than his previous one. He reverently picked it up from the box and as soon as he held it, a surge of power rushed through him, coursing through every part of his body and leaving him in bliss. He gave the wand a swish and flames erupted from them. Curiously, the flames didn't do any damage to the shop, even after spreading like wildfire.

"Fantastic! Splendid!" a very happy Ollivander cried out.

Harry beamed as he caressed his wand lovingly. "What is it made of Mr. Ollivander?"

"It is quite an unusual wand, if I say so myself, but that is expected given the contents of your blood- phoenix tears and basilisk venom! Such a unique combination! The wand required two types of wood to separate the tears and venom. The inner portion is vine wood containing a Peruvian Vipertooth's fang, coated with basilisk venom, while it is covered by yew with the phoenix tears separating them. Yew represents power of rebirth, i.e. life and death and the phoenix tears are the most potent substance used in saving life, i.e. bringing a person to life from the brink of death, something you have experienced. The vine wood seeks ambition and the fang coated with poison gives power. It complements each other. It is quite different from your previous wand- which was suited for defensive magic. This wand will certainly help you master all kinds of offensive and dangerous magic. I urge you to take caution, do not get lost in the quest for power, because great power comes with greater responsibilities. You must stay true to yourself and your loved ones."

Stunned by what he was hearing, Harry could only nod as he listened to Ollivander urging him to stay true to those close to him.

"Now that'll be 60 galleons ."

Even though the amount was a trifle to what he was willing to spend for his new wand, he could not help but ask "Why is this costlier than my first wand."

"The wands which you buy when you are eleven are ministry subsidized . They are premade wands which the ministry sponsors in addition to placing the trace on them. As it stands, this is a custom made wand and not sponsored, and hence does not carry the trace which the ministry uses to monitor underage sorcery. Use this to your advantage" he finished with a wink.

'That just made this deal extremely profitable' he thought.

He removed the required galleons from his pouch and was about to take his leave when Ollivander stopped him and gave him another box.

"Use this wand holster , I cannot fathom the idea of such a beautiful wand being placed in your pockets"

Accepting it, he put his wand in the holster and tied it to his wrists. Thanking the old man for his help and generosity, he left the shop and went to Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlour. He ordered a chocolate Sunday and took a seat in the corner. He was watching a peculiar man treading towards the entrance of Knockturn Alley, when he heard someone rapping their knuckles on the table. Turning away from the window, he saw Daphne Greengrass standing.

"Potter."

"Greengrass. How are you? Come join me."

"I am fine Potter."

After some minutes of casual conversation, Harry decided to ask the question he had been itching to ask- "Why didn't you reply to my letter Greengrass?"

"I did Potter, the very next day, but for some reason my owl was not able to locate you. So when my owl returned the letter undelivered for two times, I gave up."

"What? But I didn't receive any letter!"

"Your home must have some sort of post diversion ward then."

"Huh, I didn't know that. But I've always received my letters before."

"Did you now? How many letters have you received till now Potter?"

"Well I've received letters from Ron and Hermione before, maybe around 20."

"20! Really Potter, do you think that only 20 letters have been written to you? All of the wizarding world must have sent you a letter at least once. You should have received thousands of letters by now, yet you have only 20. Clearly your house is under post diversion wards- pretty strong ones too if you haven't received even one fan mail till now."

"Fan mail?"

"Of course, almost all the kids our age have sent you a letter while growing up."

"Including you?" Harry asked teasingly, wiggling his eyebrows.

"You would wish that wouldn't you Potter" she said haughtily, turning up her nose, before losing her self-control and laughing heartily.

"Well back to the topic- I wanted to know if you had any idea as to how I could sell the carcass of the basilisk. I've read some laws on beast hunting and I found out that the carcass of any XXXX+ rated animal could be claimed by the one who killed it. I know that the body parts are quite valuable. But I don't want to flood the market by the sudden infusion of a large quantity, as it would only reduce the prices."

"Good Potter, I was wondering if you would come up with that. To answer, yes I can help you in the sale of a few parts of the basilisk. My family deals with rare potion and ingredients so there might be something I could arrange. The rest can be arranged by Gringotts. They would pay a high price to get their hands on such a beast. Tell me Potter, what have you decided to tell people about this…adventure of yours?"

"I don't know if I want to. I mean everyone started to bad mouth me the minute they came to know I was a parselmouth. How am I to know that they wouldn't brand me as the next dark lord or something."

"You should use your brain Potter. The majority of the population are followers, blindly following whoever is the loudest. Did you ever think about coming open to tell people that you were saving that Fletchley boy and not attacking him? Did you ever point out to people that your own mother was a muggleborn? Or that you are constantly surrounded by another? You should know that it is up to you to create a good image of yourself. Tell me what would happen if people were to find out that you saved a first year girl by killing Slytherin's thousand year old monster. Tell them a good story and they will believe it. Tell them nothing and they would make one themselves, and it may not portray you as the hero. You have a good story tell right now, make sure you do the right things and are seen by the right people, it will make your life a lot easier. Goodbye."

"Wait! Why are you telling me all this? what is in it for you?"

"Finally caught on, have you? I want to you to take me down to Slytherin's chamber" she said before adding "Also being in your good books is a bonus."

And with that Greengrass left the parlour without sparing a glance, leaving Harry to ponder over the issue.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 _Two days later, Leaky Cauldron_

Harry lay on the bed, tired of the day's activities. It was difficult for him to sneak in the castle for the second time. 'Nevertheless, I got what I wanted from the study' he thought, looking at the trunk filled with rare tomes about esoteric magic and rituals, along with rare potion ingredients. It had been quite difficult for him to gain entry in the study without alerting the others.

FLASHBACK

Harry was enjoying a quiet breakfast in the Leaky Cauldron, when a middle aged man wearing expensive robes came up to his desk and sat himself. Harry stared at him for a long time, observing him, when the man straightened himself and spoke-" , I am Aiden Smythe, and I believe we have some business to do. I am sorry for the impolite introductions, but it is not safe to speak about such delicate issues in the public. A mutual friend has informed me about your adventure with a snake and your desire to sell it. Let us go into a private setting to discuss the job."

'This must be the man Greengrass spoke about; this was quick.'

"Very well , follow me to my room, no one will disturb us there."

quickly offered to buy all the body parts which could be used for potion making, an offer which Harry was already expecting.

"You can have the parts you desire , but the venom is not for sale. I will not have something as dangerous as Basilisk venom in the hands of someone who could use it against me; that is nonnegotiable."

All it took was one glance at his face and it was quite easy to know that was disheartened.

"Very well , but you must allow me to take a tooth of the beast, after the venom is extracted of course."

After agreeing to all the conditions, and signing non-disclosure contracts, Harry set off towards Hogwarts with and six of his companions.

It wasn't a long time before they were at the entrance of the chamber. Getting permission from McGonagall was easy, and in the absence of Dumbledore, there was no one else who had the authority to stop him.

As soon as they entered the chamber, Harry heard gasps from the men accompanying him. Seeing the humongous body of the basilisk sprawled over the wet floor for the first time after his encounter, he had to admit that the scene was incredible. He saw flashes go off the cameras the men had brought with them and soon began an extensive photoshoot, followed by the meticulous procedure of harvesting the delicate organs. It was during this time that he had finally managed to convince the team to leave him alone. He started exploring the chambers and made an intriguing observation- each statue had a snake engraved on its lower side; just like the one on the entrance to the chambers.

'I have to visit this place alone' was all he could think before he heard his name being called.

"We have everything we need , and the venom is placed in these unbreakable crystal vials" said. "It was a pleasure working with you and we shall meet soon to discuss the payment involved, Good Day."

Carefully placing the basilisk venom containers in the trunk, he bid them farewell and exited the school.

The next day Harry tried to continue his daily routine but found he was unable to do anything productive. After a couple of hours of making no progress, he shut the book and called Dobby.

"Master Harry Potter be needing Dobby?!"

"Yes Dobby, I wanted to know if you can take someone with you when you apparate somewhere."

"Dobby can sir, Dobby only needing the person to hold Dobby's hand. Does Master Harry Potter want to go somewhere sir?"

"Yes, I want to go to the Slytherin's chamber again Dobby. I have some unfinished business there."

"Master Harry Potter wanting to go to the bad place again?" he asked in a terrified voice.

"It is no longer dangerous Dobby, the monster within the chamber is dead" Harry said in a calm and reassuring voice. "Can you take me there?"

"Dobby can sir, Dobby can! Does Master Harry Potter want to go there now?"

"Not now Dobby, we will go there tonight, at nine."

"As Master Harry Potter wishes sir! Can Dobby be doing something for Master now sir?"

"Nothing, leave now and come later. Make sure nobody notices you. I don't want anyone to realise that we are missing."

A soft pop could be heard in a room of the Leaky Cauldron as the clock struck nine. A moment later, Harry Potter and Dobby arrived in the Chamber of Secrets. The broken down body of the basilisk gave off a stench worse than before. Quickly casting a freshening charm, Harry set off to examine the statues in the chamber. As he had deduced, all of them had the emblem of snake engraved in their lower sides. Going towards the smallest statue near the entrance, Harry hissed in a soft but clear voice,

" _Open."_

For a second, there was no effect on the statue and Harry thought in disappointment that it was merely for design, when the front of the statue suddenly jerked open and fell down. Looking inside it, Harry found a treasure chest. Carefully taking it out, he laid it down on the floor and opened it-a key and a note, was all it contained.

He took the key and examined it. On the base was a symbol of a snake ('again?!' he sighed) and the tip was curved in a peculiar way. Looking for more detail, Harry took the note and opened it.

Inside it a single line was written- _'for those who need help, they_ _need only open.'_

'What the hell does that even mean?!' he sighed.

Four hours later and Harry had opened all the twelve statues and gained entry to what seemed to be Salazar Slytherin's private study. There was a beautiful mahogany desk with an ornate chair, surrounded by shelves containing numerous tomes. Inside the desk was a journal- Slytherin's personal journal! It took him and Dobby the better of two hours to carefully place all the books and notes in a magically enchanted trunk.

"Take the trunks in my room Dobby and come back here after some time to take me back"he said to Dobby and set off to explore the chambers further.

There were two walls carrying the snake emblem, and wanting to see where it led Harry hissed one of them open and entered the dimly lit passage. The walls seemed to be made of stones different than what the castle was made of. It seemed more rugged, less refinedand _old._

"This passage must be older than the castle itself" Harry spoke, in awe and wonder.

After nearly an hour of travelling in the dwindling and uneven passage, Harry found himself exiting the passage and entering the _Forbidden Forest_!

The incident with the acromantulas still fresh in his mind, Harry ran the way back.

Not wanting to take any further risks, he called Dobby and side-apparated back to his room. The trunks were placed in front of his bed, one containing the venom collected the day before and the other containing the treasures from the chamber- A goblin forged dagger enchanted by Salazar, a packet of rare potion ingredients, another packet of rare ritual ingredients, and a large silver dish, covered in large complex rune systems filled with long silver cloud like threads-a pensieve.

Carefully locking the trunks and shrinking them, Harry placed them in the innermost section of his trunk, all the while thinking about his plan for using the basilisk venom.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two days later, 's Hospital:

"I am Head Healer Clint, What can I do for you ?"

"Healer Clint, I have read from various sources that basilisk venom is quite useful in treating fatal diseases. I happen to have a small quantity of the venom with me, and I would like to donate it to 's."

"Basilisk Venom ? May I ask how you were able to acquire such a rare element?"

"Of course Healer Clint, you may have heard about the recent attack on Hogwarts students in the castle, petrification to be specific?"

"Yes, it was quite the nuisance; it was all hand on deck for us to produce the Mandrake Restorative Draught. But what does it have to do with this?"

"The legend of the Chamber of Secrets was true after all Healer Smith. There was indeed a monster lurking in the chambers, and using some foul magic it was unleashed this year. The monster was a basilisk, Healer Smith, and with some help from my friends it was killed by me. By the rights of the law of beast hunting, it is up to me to decide what to do with it. You may choose to not believe me, but in two days' time you will see this plastered all over the news."

"Is this actually true?" he asked bewildered. "Oh God! What is happening in the castle these days!"

"It was indeed unfortunate Healer Clint, but it's of no use to ponder over the past."

"Indeed. So… the basilisk venom you were talking about earlier? Do you have it with you now?"

"Of course not Healer Clint, my house elf will bring it when we are in a suitable setting. It is far too dangerous to carry such a poison on the body."

"Of course… do you mind if I bring over a friend of mine to my office? He works at the Daily Prophet and would like to ask you some questions, nothing personal or untoward, just about how you acquired it and such."

"I do not mind it in the least; I will do my best to answer the questions" Harry said, all the while suppressing a smirk.

"Come join me in the office , we will deal with the formalities shortly."

The whole ordeal was done within a couple of hours and Harry could be seen sporting a smug smile, the plan had gone exactly the way he wanted.

The reporter turned out to be a good friend of the Healer and asked questions only about the Chambers, took pictures of him handing over the venom and this promised him a good image.

He lay on his bed, thinking about the article which would do wonders for his public image. 'I have to gift Greengrass something for this suggestion' he mused.

Unknown to him, this decision of his would prove beneficial to another man who would go on to change his life greatly.

 _ **A huge manor in France, the same day:**_

A man lay down on a comfortable and elegant king sized bed, musing about his illness and the fall of his mighty house when his elf popped over.

"Master, I have some great news" the old elf said, in a noticeably cheerful tone.

"What is it Polky?"

"Master said to Polky that Master would die soon unless a cure was found soon, and that the cure was impossible to make without potent basilisk venom, which was impossible to find."

"Yes, I remember that. I fail to see however how that is good news."

"Master, our healer at St. Mungo's has reported that a significant quantity of potent basilisk venom was recently donated to the hospital by Harry Potter. I have already asked the healer to brew the potion to counter the poison of the venomous tentacula, it will cost a significant amount of gold, but Polky used the key give to him by Master."

"Harry Potter you said? Basilisk Venom? Tell the healer to hurry; I have a house to restore and not much time to do so. Go and make arrangements Polky, immediately" the man on the deathbed spoke in clear and stern voice.

"This is interesting; the boy is not so useless after all. This may be the only chance to ensure that the House does not fall and continues to live on."

 **AN: That's it for this chapter guys! Sorry for the slow updates but I had to wait till my exams were done with!**

 **There's a cliffhanger at the end? Who can guess the character correctly? PM me if you think you know who the man is.**

 **Also REVIEW! Helps me to remain motivated!**

 **Till the next time,**

 **~purebloodpeverell.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP.**

 **AN: I apologise for the very late update and hope to make it up to all of you.**

 **CHAPTER 5**

 _Of all the family heirlooms that I have studied, none is more mysterious than the invisibility cloak. Handed down to me by my father, I used it scarcely, preferring the disillusionment charm, until I came across my extended family tree. The last surviving descendant of Ignotus Peverell married into the Potter Family. Interestingly no records of a family invisibility cloak exist before that year. This has led me to believe that the invisibility cloak is indeed the third hallow._

The Deathly Hallows, the story of the Peverell brothers outwitting Death. It all seemed like a fancy tale to tell the children, but the moment he found its symbol sketched in the Family Grimoire, he knew it was anything but a fantasy.

It had taken him a whole week of going through all the notes added by his ancestors in the Grimoire before he found references to the third hallow- The Cloak, madeby Edmund Potter, in the early nineteenth century. The enclosed parchment showed how the last of the Peverell family were absorbed into the Potter Family.

Harry had noticed that there was a sudden influx of knowledge about battle-magic and mage-wars after the marriage of Iolanthe Peverell to Hardwin Potter, before the entries slowly stopped, shifting from the dangerous combat-magic to refined transfiguration and wards.

It had been a month since that adventurous trip to the Chamber Of Secrets, and Harry had taken the full advantage of the lack of trace on his wand. Avoiding doing extra schoolwork, Harry had started studying Beginner Runes and Transfiguration from his Great grandfather, Charlus Potter, as the Family Grimoire was way too advanced for him to be of much use.

That, however, didn't mean the journals were any less valuable; Charlus Potter was a war hero, fighting in the war against Grindelwald and his army, and he himself had written: "A Guide to the Grimoire."

The book was everything he needed at this stage, covering aspects of magic required to perform the complicated and obscure magic, but which were generally omitted from the school curriculum.

Harry had always assumed that magic was just another aspect of the wizards, which they relied on, to make their lives easier. How wrong was he!

The magic of a wizard was his life force, a different kind of energy that wizards were able to manipulate to an extent. It didn't rely on some incantations or movements, the desire of the caster and his will was all that was required to achieve a task. This theory, however, was gradually discarded as easier spells were invented and gradually the entire education system was based on a derivative of the true nature of magic.

After reading the ancient theories of magic, and changing the way he perceived it, Harry soon found the practical aspect of magic to be frighteningly easy. He had performed transfigurations from the journal which were on par with what he had seen the twins perform for their pranks. Silly they might be, but Harry was under no illusion that the Weasley twins were anything but geniuses in their own rights. And to find that he was capable of doing magic performed by someone two years elder to him was a huge boost for his confidence, leading him to practice other difficult tasks.

Sighing, he closed the leather-bound journal and placed it in the bottom of his trunk, simultaneously taking out his mother's diary.

Sirius was innocent; at least on the charges of betraying his parents, of this Harry was sure. It had taken him quite a while looking for the Fidelus Charm mentioned in the diary, had been on the receiving end of queer gazes and uneasy looks, but he had done it.

'The Fidelus: a study' had mentioned that the charm managed to distort the reality, bending it to suit the castor's need. The secret was supposedly stored in the soul of the secret keeper, making it safe from both physical and mental stress. The only way for a person to pass the Fidelus Charm was to receive the secret willingly from the secret keeper.

The only way the Fidelus on their home in Godric's Hollow could be broken was if Pettigrew had willingly disclosed the secret to Voldemort.

'I have to do something to confirm this' he thought, his mind switching its gear to formulate a working plan.

Quickly taking out a parchment he duplicated the contents of the journal and attached a letter asking Sirius to meet him in private.

"Dobby" he called out.

With a sudden crack, Dobby appeared before Harry, no longer wearing the filthy rags, but a neatly tailored uniform.

"Master Harry Potter sir be needing Dobby?" he said in an excited voice, as soon as he arrived.

"Dobby, what I am about to tell you is of the utmost importance. You have to ensure that no one interferes in this and no one knows about this."

"Yes, Master Harry Potter sir! Dobby can be silent! Dobby's bad master used to make Dobby do many things silently. What is you needing Master Harry Potter?" he asked with his eyes twinkling, filled with eagerness and hope to impress.

"I need you to find Sirius Black, and give him this package" Harry said in a calm voice, handing out the package which held his letter and the duplicate of his mother's diary.

"Sirius Black?! Sirius Black being a dangerous and bad person" he cried shrilly.

"That may not be true Dobby; he may be innocent, at least of some of the charges put against him. I need you to do this, take as much time as you want, but ensure that you get to him and hand him the package. Remember, you must not be seen or heard, we don't need anyone else butting their heads in this."

Harry Potter sir asks him to do" he said, before bowing and disappearing with a loud crack.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Arcturus sighed as he finished writing the letter to the Potter Heir, the Blacks and the Potters were never on the friendliest of terms, the uproar caused in the society when his sister, Dorea, had married Charlus Potter was proof enough for that. The Blacks were famous to be the supporters of magical world's sovereignty, long before the Statue of Secrecy was imposed, while the Potters were in favour of bridging the gap between the mundane and the magical societies. It had taken a lot of convincing from the noble families of the wizarding world to convince the houses of Longbottom, Bones, Fawley, Abbott; to support the imposing of the Statue, but even then, the Potters remained resolute in their belief of merging the worlds. It was only after the Heir of Potter clan was hunted by the muggles, did they support the motion. Majority of the sacred twenty-eight still remembered this, and it was only because of the valiant efforts of Charlus Potter and his forces, to help the captured members of many of the sacred twenty-eight by a rogue contingent of Grindelwald's army, that the house of Potter was finally accepted by the nobility as one of their own.

And then came the rise of the Dark Lord Voldemort, and with it, the demolition of the British wizarding society. The dark lord won the allegiance of many pureblood houses. It was rumoured that he was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin himself, and possibly even the heir.

This was the reason, the Black Family now lay in shambles; Cygnus, Pollux had been vocal about their support for the dark lord and his vision about restoring the nobility in Britain.

His own son Orion, was too much of a coward to form his own opinion, and the growing influence of Walburga meant that the youngest generation of the Blacks had divided into two polar factions.

Sirius, his eldest grandson and the heir of the Blacks, was against the rising tyrant, while everyone else loyally supported the Dark Lord.

Not wanting to make the mistake his father did during Grindelwald's war, he allowed the youngest generation to make their own decisions, hoping that they would be responsible and uphold the values and the pride of the Blacks.

But he had been wrong; Narcissa was married to the Malfoy heir, and never voiced her opinion. Bellatrix was married to the Lestrange heir, but was so enamoured with the Dark Lord, that she was no longer her own person. Regulus turned out to be a devotee of the Dark Lord as well, and all he ever wanted to be was a follower. Sirius ended up isolating himself from the family and found solace in the Potter household.

The house of Black had suffered the most in the wars of the Dark Lord and Arcturus had no plans of forgetting or forgiving this. Taking a sip from the now almost empty bottle of firewhiskey, he mused about the Potter heir.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The letter which Harry had received, courtesy of a black regal owl, had left him with more questions than he cared for.

He had living relatives, blood relatives, who had apparently forgotten about him for all these years and now suddenly wanted to get in touch with him.

He could understand that the man was ill, but it still left a bitter taste in his mouth regarding the man, especially after reading the letter. The wordings of the letter left him with no options though, as the aged Black had all but practically demanded his presence in the Black Manor.

Adjusting his robes carefully, one last time, he pulled out the letter of the envelope, the pale yellow colour of the parchment and the delicate feel failing terribly to hide its extravagant cost, a luxury he had yet to adapt himself with.

Tracing the Black Family crest with his wand, he slowly muttered "Tojours Pur" and he disappeared with nothing but a whisk.

Harry felt himself being squeezed and stretched out simultaneously as he appeared in front of an old yet regal manor, and felt a stinging sensation for a moment as he stepped through the outer doors towards the main entrance.

When he had first anticipated the meeting, he had expected an old manor with dilapidated walls, in a very poor condition but he was shocked, to say the least.

The huge lawns spread as far as he could see, with exotic fragrant flowers gracing the pathway. The manor itself looked no as maintained as Hogwarts, which was a testament to the effort the last Black must have taken as the Hogwarts elves were nothing short of obsessed over the maintenance of the castle.

The main building itself was 4 storeys tall, adjoined by towers which looked less like a private structure, but more like a watchtower, with sharp spikes distending from the dividers.

If the sharp wordings of the letter had not intimidated Harry, the sight of the manor had certainly done the job.

Calming his nerves, Harry slowly climbed the last flight of stairs to reach the dark oak door with a huge knocker.

He was about to reach for the knockers, when the doors opened, seemingly on their own.

"The house of the Black welcomes you Heir Potter" a deep voice greeted him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry remained fast asleep in the last compartment of the Hogwarts express as it coursed its way through pleasant meadows and country.

His peaceful slumber didn't last long however as the door slammed open and in stormed an enranged Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.

"Potter!" He exclaimed.

Harry woke up with a start and looked at the door where Malfoy continued spouting off some nonsense. Not bothering to give any response, Harry stretched his muscles, a yawn escaping his mouth involuntarily.

Malfoy became angrier as he realised that Potter hadn't even been listening to him.

His mood didn't get any better as Potter slowly responded "Were you saying something Malfoy?" still trying to stifle another yawn.

"Yes" Malfoy gritted through his teeth.

"I asked why the hell did you interfere with the Black Family business. Why did I get a letter by Gringotts saying I was no longer the Heir presumptive to the Black Family and that any further business regarding that matter would be resolved by you!"

Harry tried very hard to stop himself from laughing as by the time Malfoy had finished his monologue, his face had swollen and almost had a purple shade to it, not unlike Vernon's when he was angry. However, instead of looking intimidating, Malfoy just resembled a small child upset over a toy.

"Think this is funny, do you Potter?" Malfoy snarled as Harry refused to take him seriously.

"It's just that what happens with the Black family is no longer a concern of yours Malfoy. Whatever business the House of Black has, is now between Lord Arcturus Black and me.

If it were up to me, you wouldn't even be a member of the Black family, but Lord Black has refused me to cast you out of the family; till I officially become Lord Black that is" Harry finished with a mocking smile.

"What?" Malfoy spluttered out.

"Yes Malfoy you heard it right now get out of here, I want to take a nap."

Too shocked to say anything Malfoy left the compartment, not even bothering to slam the door.

Harry smirked as a flustered Malfoy left his compartment, an expression of confusion plastered over his face. The meeting with Lord Black had taken an unexpected turn when he was greeted by not only Lord Black but also the infamous Sirius Black.

Harry had been shocked out of his wits to see the most wanted person in the wizarding world to be present in the study of Lord Black, wearing immaculate robes, an expression of calm emanating from him.

The meeting had changed him as a person, literally and metaphorically. Harry was now the Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. It hadn't been easy, nor had it been risk-free; but it was worth the efforts.

FLASHBACK

"Sirius?" Harry croaked out, his mind refusing to believe the reality.

"Yes, it is me Harry" Sirius said, tears running down his cheeks as the moment he had played over a thousand times in his head had finally become reality.

Sirius moved to hug Harry but was stopped by Harry's hand. An icy dread began to spread through his chest as his mind began speculating over the possibility that Harry hated him.

But before he could think of anything else, he heard Harry say something.

"Explain. Explain yourself, I want to hear it from you. Say you didn't betray my parents" Harry cried out, both to Sirius and to the heavens, hoping that he wouldn't hear a denial from Sirius.

"It wasn't me Harry, it wasn't me! It was the damn rat! Pettigrew! No one expected him to side with Voldemort."

Lord Arcturus Black watched on as Sirius and Harry embraced each other, emotion heavy in the air and he couldn't help as his eyes moistened and a single tear rolled down his cheek. This was what family was supposed to mean, not quarrelling about petty issues or betraying the trust of each other.

Though he didn't want to interfere with their moment, they were here for business. Clearing his throat, he said,

"If you could all join me in the study in a moment, I would like to discuss some pressing issues."

It had taken some minutes, but soon Harry sat beside Sirius in the study. Arcturus sat across them, on a plush cushioned armchair.

"Getting onto the matters, I have a proposal for you Heir Potter" Arcturus Black said, his voice crisp and his face emotionless.

Harry blanked out his thoughts, focused on what the man across him was about to say. He was already indebted to him for providing refuge to Sirius and he did not know if he could refuse the proposal.

"I assume you believe that Sirius is not guilty of the crimes charged against him. I can help you get him a trial and get him freedom."

"And… in return?" Harry asked, knowing fully well that the man before him wouldn't offer his help, experience and knowledge without getting something for himself.

"In return, you will blood-adopt yourself in the Black Family, become its heir and uphold the values and traditions of the family."

Silence.

"I hope you do not mean that I pledge myself for pureblood supremacy" Harry said calmly.

"I do not mean that Heir Potter. My conditions are to make you respect our traditions, learn them and embrace them as your forefathers did for thousands of years, respect magic for itself."

"What do you mean by that?"

"In the past centuries, due to the increasing number of muggleborn children coming into the wizarding world-" "do not interrupt me" Arcturus chided Harry, "because of that, a lot of wizarding traditions are done with to make the muggleborn students feel more at home. If you do not believe then look at the absence of Beltane celebrations, Solstice celebrations, Yule Celebrations."

Harry nodded, as he didn't recall ever hearing about these festivals.

"These are the traditions all magic users have respected, embraced and celebrated since the dawn of civilisation and are now on the verge of being forgotten. I will help free your sworn Godfather, using my influence in the ministry and Wizengamot and in return, you will use your status, your wealth and your influence to restore these traditions, and help the Black Family restore to its former glory.

These are my conditions Heir Potter, do you accept them?"

"Yes."

 **AN: That's it for now guys, and I once again apologize for not updating for months, but my college had gotten in my way and I just couldn't find the time to sit down and write. This is the 5** **th** **or 6** **th** **draft, as I had to delete whatever I had written and planned for ahead due to the reasons I mentioned.**

 **I thank you for being patient with me and this story and I will strive to do better in the future.**

 **That being said, I hope you guys like this chapter. Do review and tell me how you find it as it helps me figure out what I should incorporate in the future chapters.**

 **Or just tell me if I'm doing good and you like it or its not good!**

 **~purebloodpeverell.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP.**

 **AN: I apologise for the very late update (Again) and hope to make it up to all of you.**

 **AN2: You might notice a few changes in the changes in some characters and that is because there have been a few changes and in some aspects I want this to be a unique story and not merely another one of the cliched tropes.**

EDITED.

Harry sat uncomfortably on his bed, trying not to remember the incident at the Hogwarts Express.

"Dementor, that's what that creature was. They are one of the foulest creatures on the planet , causing despair wherever they go" Harry remembered the new defense teacher Lupin say that after he drove it away.

Harry was shocked when he had seen the name R J Lupin on the suitcase. He had tried to convince himself that the person sitting across him wasn't one of his parents best friends, but knew he was only fooling himself. Not getting a chance to speak to him privately on the express or at the feast, Harry promised himself to meet him at the earliest.

Sighing, he took out his wand and began trying to concentrate on transfiguring the candles on the table to a glass of water.

 _Transfigurating an object becomes more difficult as you try to change the nature of the object. For instance, if you turn a cat, a living being, into a table, a non-living organic matter, it will be more difficult than turning it into a rat, a living being like the cat. However, if you try to convert it into an iron rod it will be even more difficult as it is a non-living inorganic substance. Thus it can be concluded that the similar the nature of the objects before and after the transfiguration, the easier it will be._

The transfiguration classes had covered the non-living aspect and he wondered if this year they would start on living beings. His musings were broken when he heard Ron head up the stairs along with Seamus and Dean. Not wanting to answer any more questions about the train incident, he quickly drew the curtains and pretended to sleep.

"I don't know what happened to Harry, one second we were just joking around and then that thing comes. The next thing we heard was Harry scream and then he collapsed" Ron said.

"Looks like he's asleep, can't get any answers from him now, I told you to get here earlier Weasley, but you just couldn't stop eating could you?" Seamus muttered darkly.

Harry listened to them speculate about the incident, all the while wondering about the scream he had heard.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Slytherin Common room seemed alive with students chatting excitedly over the start of the new year, the train incident not hampering the festive mood in the dungeons.

Draco Malfoy sat on the couch by the fireplace, across Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini and Richard Moon.

"Did you hear about Potter? Did he really faint?" Theodore Nott asked eagerly.

"Yes, I heard the weasel mention that after those dementors left the train" Malfoy replied, still a bit gloomy about the incident.

"Wasn't your father informed about this check?" Richard asked. "He is close with Fudge right? I am surprised he didn't inform your father about the check."

Malfoy cursed him silently as he gave a lame excuse of his father being busy and out of the country. Truth was, he was wondering the same thing. His father had played host to Fudge and his colleagues several times last year and Fudge not telling his father about this certainly made him question his fathers influence over the minister.

'Perhaps the way in which the previous term ended made him do this.'

It was true though, the Malfoy name had suffered some slander after it was revealed that his father had used some …. Questionable methods to oust Dumbledore from his office.

But couldn't they see that they were doing it for the better of the Wizarding World? The muggle-loving fool would only lead them to despair and ruin.

He snapped out of his thoughts when Blaise shook him by his shoulders.

"You alright there Draco? You spaced out there for a bit" Blaise said, a mild concern on his face.

"Yeah just tired. I think I'll go to bed, Goodnight guys."

Richard Moon sat by the fireplace long after the rest of his group had left for their dorms. His pale face illuminated by the now smouldering fire and the beginning of what was a long faint scar could be seen peeking out of the collar of his shirt.

After a long time, he sighed and finally removed a quill and some parchment from his bag and started writing a letter to his father.

He was still not convinced of his father's plan to return to England and knew that it would be a long time till before he would be a part of Malfoy's inner gang and learn anything of value.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **Black Manor**

Lord Arcturus Black was a proud man and always expected himself to be the best at whatever he did. So it was no surprise as he put his elves on many small but important tasks of gaining titbits of information of the families of the Wizarding World.

He was back and he would make everyone who had wronged his family pay for it.

Sending Sirius to France wasn't something he liked but knew it was necessary for him to get treatment before he could be revealed to the public.

A healthy Sirius would also be better for the blood-adoption he had been planning for the Potter Heir.

He had already started preparing for it and knew that the night of the Winter Solstice would be perfect for the ceremony.

'First, that boy needs to know more about the different fields of magic' he grumbled. He had been astounded with how little knowledge of magic the Harry had, and had already sent him a package of six books he expected Harry to finish before coming back for the winter holidays.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **Hogwarts**

The next few days passed in a blur as everyone tried to familiarise themselves with their new schedule.

Harry continued his studies and practice rigorously and found many of his classes quite easy.

He had recently come across an empty classroom on the third floor which he used to practice what he had read from his family's book.

Last week's read had offered him some very useful insight into combat magic: Object manipulation.

" _You will often find yourself in situations where you do not know what your opponent has cast and you will find yourself dodging more and more as your duel progresses. This puts you in the position of a disadvantage as you will find yourself unable to cast offensive spells. Hence the best way to deal with the opponent in such situations is to use object conjuration and manipulation._

 _Conjuration is the art of creating objects from nothing. The amount of skill and energy required is tremendous to use it on a daily basis or use it in a duel or a battle if you aren't trained to do so._

 _Focus on the intent to create the object, focus on the details._

 _Start with a simple object- a flower. Determine which flower you want to conjure, visualize its appearance, texture, colour and size. Imagine that there is already a flower placed in front of you, of the exact same description and try to replicate it, I always find this easier to do than to think of creating it from the void- the space."_

It had been four days since Harry started trying to conjure a rose, and after a lot of gruelling work had finally managed to create one!

But it had taken him a total of five minutes to conjure it and it was obvious that it would be of no use if he wasn't able to conjure it instantly.

He opened the door and was surprised when a feminine voice greeted him, a familiar voice.

"Hey Harry, long time no see?" Daphne Greengrass said, twirling her wand as she sat on a chair with her legs crossed.

"Daphne! What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Tsk Tsk Potter; is this any way to treat a lady? Surely Lord Black must've taught you better?" Daphne said haughtily.

Harry was shocked beyond belief. He had told no one about his meeting with Lord Black and had no idea how she knew about it.

He stammered for a bit and finally managed to croak out "Are you spying on me, Greengrass?"

Daphne laughed, an amused expression on her face.

"No, I am not spying on you. It was Lord Black who contacted my father about a business deal which happens to involve you."

"Woah" Harry said. It was a lot of information to deal with, and he zoned out till he was brought back to reality by Daphne's chuckle.

"Come on Harry, you can't honestly believe that someone like Lord Black would actually keep you updated on everything or anything he does."

"Yeah, it's just that I didn't really think he would tell this to anybody else so soon."

A look of empathy crossed Daphne's face as she saw his crestfallen face.

She said softly "Its what he needs to do Harry, he is healthy now and he sees an opportunity to regain his lost glory.

If you think I know whatever happened between the two of you, you are wrong. My father is the owner of businesses which deal with many exotic and rare potion ingredients, and the potion which Lord Black requested for are so rare that even my Father has been hassled by the work. Even then he hasn't told me what ingredients he is looking for, he didn't even tell me it concerned you. He just asked me if I knew you and when I said yes, just told me to keep being in your good graces." She said with a shrug.

"Oh." He said still unsure about the whole incident. Soon a huge grin replaced the frown on his face as he added with a wink "So you are trying to be in my good graces?"

Daphne pointed her wand at him challengingly and said: "Don't get any funny ideas Potter, or you'll find your arse on the floor."

"Is that so?" Harry asked in a mischievous tone, clearly not buying into her threat.

The next thing he remembered was searching for his wand as he tried to lift himself up from the floor.

He heard another chuckle from Daphne, as she handed him his wand and helped him get up.

"How did you even manage to do that?" Harry asked bewildered. He had never seen anyone so fast with a wand.

"It's not just you who likes to train Harry, some of us like that just as much."

"So you _were_ spying on me" Harry said with a tone of satisfaction. He chuckled as he saw Daphne squirm under his gaze.

Daphne sputtered for a second before saying hastily "I wasn't spying… I just wanted to speak to you and couldn't find you."

Harry dropped his grin as he said seriously "Is this about what you wanted to talk about in the letters?"

Daphne took a deep breath and composed herself before saying "I do not believe that Lord Black is the only client my father is selling rare and expensive potion ingredient to. My father often trains me about the duty I have as the heiress to the family name and business and tells me about finances and clients and such. This summer i often saw Lucius Malfoy's name across huge transactions of money. I looked up the ingredients and they are extremely rare… almost unheard of… and looks dangerous."

Harry motioned her to continue as Daphne stopped suddenly, unsure if Harry would mock her. Sure, they had communicated a lot through letters and had gradually become friends over the span of summers, but she had never communicated much in person.

Harry gave a genuine smile as he sensed Daphne's hesitation and motioned her to continue.

"It's just that ever since you told me that Lucius Malfoy was behind the whole incident with the Chamber of Secrets I have been a bit paranoid about him" She said biting her lip, still unsure if what she had done was right.

Harry scooted closer to her, took her hand in his and said softly "You did the correct thing, Daphne, one can never be too sure where Malfoy is concerned. We can't know for sure if Malfoy is up to something or not, but knowing that he is doing something suspicious doesn't leave us in the dark."

"Thanks Harry"

"Blimey its almost curfew already, we have to leave. I don't want Snape to catch me after hours with you" Harry said in a hurry, not believing it was already so late.

Daphne chuckled as she tried her best to imitate Snape and said "Potter! What do you think you are doing up so late! If I find that you've done anything to Miss. Greengrass, you'll wish you were never born."

They both laughed hard at that and then Harry said "That was so accurate! That's what he would've said if he had caught me"

Daphne chuckled lightly and then hugged Harry as she said "Goodnight Harry"

"Goodnight Daphne"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **Somewhere in a dark, desolate mansion**

A high pitched raspy voice came from a small bundle of clothes as the creature said "Is it done? Has he responded?"

A croaky voice replied "Yes my lord, he has responded well. I am holding the first of the many packages that he has agreed to send us."

"Very well then, our plan has been set in motion."

 **AN: That's it for this chapter, I know it is a relatively short chapter but know that I haven't abandoned this story and I've made some changes in the plot so that it'll be a bit more unique.**

 **REVIEW and tell me your thoughts! Also, feel free to suggest some suggestions if there's something specific you want me to include!**

 **Constructive Criticism is always appreciated!**

 **SEE YOU SOON!**

 **~purebloodpeverell.**


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